How does access to tickets work via approvals in JSM? Can the approver see the ticket?

[Calvin]

Hi all, I don't quite understand how the permissions/approvals work in terms of access to a ticket. Say 2 users in the backend is added as an approver to the ticket can they both see the ticket if they aren't shared with/request participants?

And is this permission visibility available anywhere to review/update/edit?

I see a user complaining that they can't see a ticket they are an approver for, I have a feeling its because the other approver has already approved, so the original guy doesn't know? Does that mean once approved the ticket is lost to both the original approver AND the other user who doesn't know if its approved or not? (unless I add an automation/ask the business to add the user).

[Susan Waldrip · Accepted solution]

Hi @Calvin , congrats on becoming a Rising Star! 

Anyone who is added to the Approvers field should be able to see the ticket if it's pending approval. That means the work item has to be in "Waiting for Approval" status (or whatever you've called that status); it won't appear in anyone's list for approval until it's in that status.

At that point, anyone in the Approvers field should be able to view that ticket and (depending on your configuration for the approval) be able to approve it.

Have your approvers tried viewing the ticket on the Help Center portal via Profile and settings (avatar) > Approvals?

If the approval mechanism is configured such that any approver can approve it to move it forward (that is, both approvers are not required) and it's already been approved by one person, then the second person would need to change the default filter in the Approvals list from "Waiting for my approval" to "Approvals history" to see it.

So ask the second person to try changing the filter (if they haven't yet) and tell you if they see the work item. Note that if someone is not added to a work item as an approver, they won't see that work item in their Approvals list regardless of the filter used.

BTW, if you want help with this "live", consider attending Bryan Guffey's Wednesday afternoon The Clinic session and ask them to show you -- it's a great weekly session and a great opportunity to get your specific questions answered in real time! The 11/12/2025 session sign-up (free) is at https://ace.atlassian.com/events/details/atlassian-community-led-classes-presents-the-atlassian-clinic-live-with-bryan-guffey-2025-11-12/

[Calvin]

Thanks mate, looks interesting and will definitely check it out. Didn't know about the approval history so thats pretty good. Still a bit sad that if another member approves though the rest of the approvers have no idea so they just see an empty ticket for them. 

Thanks for the live session info as well, sounds awesome to check out.

[Christopher Yen · Accepted solution]

Hi @Calvin 

I think you're right, the approvers can only see the work item while it's pending approval and once the work item is approved they lose access if not a request participant. 

[Calvin]

Thanks mate, got a friend to test today, and it does seem to be correct, while pending approval they have access to the ticket. Once approved they indeed lose it. A bit iffy IMO but at least we found the culprit.